Femtocells—building-based wireless access points interfaced with a wired broadband network—are traditionally deployed to improve indoor wireless coverage, and to offload traffic from a mobility radio access network (RAN) operated by a wireless service provider. Improved indoor coverage includes stronger signal, increased bandwidth, and improved reception (e.g., video, sound, or data), ease of session or call initiation, and session or call retention, as well. Offloading traffic from a RAN reduces operational and transport costs for the service provider since a lesser number of end users consumes macro RAN over-the-air radio resources (e.g., radio traffic channels), which are typically limited. With the rapid increase in utilization of communications networks and/or devices, mobile data communications have been continually evolving due to increasing requirements of workforce mobility, and, services provided by femtocells can be extended beyond indoor coverage enhancement.
Traditionally, during idle mode reselection and/or active mode handover, a user equipment (UE) can trigger a carrier frequency scan to detect a femto access point (FAP). Moreover, the UE can perform attachment signaling, for example, including a Location Area Update (LAU) and/or Routing Area Update (RAU). Moreover, attachment attempts are a part of procedures to ensure mobility, so voice calls and sessions can continue even after a macro-to-femto transition or vice versa. If the attachment attempt is unsuccessful (e.g., the UE is not authorized to utilize the femtocell network), the UE can be commanded to select another location area code (LAC)/routing area code (RAC). This attempt and handling process can occupy significant UE battery, and FAP capacity and signaling resources.
Moreover, the traditional femto access control and incoming handovers are signaling-intensive and limited in the number of unique access point (AP) identifiers available. Upon discovery of new AP, the UE performs extensive signaling activity with many network elements before access is accepted or denied. Especially in the cases where the access is denied, the extensive signaling activity provides substantial amount of overhead. Further, as femtocell networks become denser and complex, this substantial amount of signaling activity can degrade network capacity and UE battery performance.